Nostalgia

When it comes to food, among other things, I can get very sentimental. I guess that sounds kind of ridiculous, but it's true. A lot of my fondest memories are tied into food and what I was eating at the time.

I guess it is not surprising, then, that I am often nostalgic about food, especially items that are no longer carried. I figured I would put this nostalgia into use and start a continuing column about foods that I once loved that now cease to exist, or are difficult to come by.


I decided to start this column with something I only had a handful of times but have never forgotten about: French Toast Crunch. The younger brother of Cinnamon Toast Crunch, a cereal loved by many and still in production, French Toast Crunch only lasted a brief eleven years in the American market.

The whole grain cereal was shaped like little pieces of French toast and was flavored to taste like the breakfast favorite. Apparently, after a few years they changed the cereal to look like Cinnamon Toast Crunch's little squares, and I believe this was their downfall.

Even though I only had the cereal a few times, I to this day, find myself craving it. Fortunately, through a little research, I found out that the cereal is still sold in Canada. Québec: here I come.

Yum!

My next new food product to try

My rant

I was recently asked to write a food review for an up and coming magazine, however, I kind of regret agreeing to it now.

Going to the restaurant and writing about it was great. I felt like I was finally on the track to what I wanted to do with my life. I loved writing about my experience at the restaurant, and I didn't hold anything back. I wanted the readers to be able to imagine they experienced it with me.

While the review had its negative points, I felt that it was fair and balanced and extremely accurate. I had other writers and friends look over it as well, and they said the same. One friend even told me I had a gift for critiquing but being nice about it.

Apparently, someone at the magazine had a different perspective. I was sent back an "edited" copy and was immediately taken aback. I am fine with my stories being edited, some words being changed, etc. as long is it is purposeful and makes sense. This was not the case.

First of all, the story was completely changed to be totally nice and unrealistic. If I had something negative to say, it was because that part of my experience was negative. I know what I am talking about after 5 or so years in the industry, and I don't need some P.R. wanna-be to smooth over my words so they are more friendly.

Then, parts of the story were rewritten unnecessarily and illogically; the changes did not even make sense. If I said a piece of pie was "delicious" that is what I meant. I didn't mean it was "delightful".

This is why the city of Ocala is so ass backwards; no one is brave enough to say/write how they really feel in a respectful and intelligent way.

Amrit Palace

I have always liked Amrit Palace in Ocala, especially their $7.95 lunch special, but the location has always been a little sketchy. I guess the owners realized this too, because they have finally moved.

The new location, which is just a stretch farther west on Highway 200, is not exactly the picture of perfection with its orange stucco walls and faux-palace structure, but it is definitely an improvement.

Luckily, the move did not effect the quality of the food, as it sometimes does. The food is still delicious and authentic. In typical Indian style, the best way to experience Amrit Palace is to order a few different dishes and share amongst a group of people.

Chicken Tandoori sizzling hot from the kitchen

I think eating should be an experience rather than a chore, so this style of cuisine really suits me. I love nibbling on a bunch of different things, dipping into sauces and tearing into Nan and other Indian breads.

After a meal of chicken tandoori, curried chick peas, lamb, stewed lentils, samosas and a variety of breads and sauces, I was very satisfied. The only improvement that I believe could have been made is that the food could have been spicier. I ordered it medium, and I was expecting, by Indian standards, that it would be fairly spicy, but I was wrong. I guess next time I will have to order my food hot.

Nan, a traditional Indian flatbread

The food was amazing, and just for that I will definitely visit again, but if it wasn't so tasty I don't know if I would; the service that evening was less than desirable.

First of all, instead of having us wait 10 minutes for a bigger table to open up, they sat five people in a tiny booth designed for four at the very most. Then, once a table opened up, 10 minutes later, they had us move.

And it went downhill from there. The server brought out the wrong dish, couldn't seem to figure out the wine list, and which wines were white and even spilled water on the floor. I don't understand why, with all of the people unemployed right now, a restaurant would employ someone who obviously has no clue what they are doing.

Bhatura, a puffy Indian fry-bread that strangely reminds me of a Chinese donut with no powdered sugar on it

When it comes to food, Amrit Palace has it down, but they really do need to hire some new servers if they want people to enjoy the experience, which in my book is about half of the battle.